Jordan considers expanding role in coalition to hit Islamic State in Iraq
Jordan is considering airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq, officials in the U.S.-led coalition fighting the jihadists said Wednesday, a day after the extremist group released a video showing a captured Jordanian pilot being burned to death. Strikes on Iraq would significantly expand the kingdom’s military involvement in the coalition’s campaign and mark the first […]Julian E. Barnes and Felicia Schwartz report for the Wall Street Journal:
Jordan is considering airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq, officials in the U.S.-led coalition fighting the jihadists said Wednesday, a day after the extremist group released a video showing a captured Jordanian pilot being burned to death. Strikes on Iraq would significantly expand the kingdom’s military involvement in the coalition’s campaign and mark the first time an Arab member conducts bombings outside of Syria.
The Royal Jordanian Air Force in recent days has begun rehearsals for a large-scale attack on Islamic State forces. But the initial wave of reprisal strikes, which will include Jordanian and U.S. warplanes, is being focused on targets in Syria, coalition officials said. Any strikes in Iraq would come later.
